© 21 Colin Melbourne
Of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ
Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord
2 Peter 1:1-2 KJV
Jesus is God in The Flesh
Q: Can you help me understand the relationship between God and Jesus Christ, because I’m confused by 2 Peter 1:1; where it seems to separate God and Christ, as though they are not quite the same?
A: What a wonderful place to be, when the blessing of the Holy Ghost has caused you to hunger for deeper revelation of God’s written word.
I hesitate to say anything in reply, other than continue seeking in your prayer closet, until God Himself shows you the answer.
That will edify you more than I ever can.
Everything God does is perfect. So I refer you to Father.
Blessed are ye that Hunger
But for the sake of those who are not yet as hungry as this questioner, I will point out that the expression, “through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ” does comply with the many other scriptures confirming that Jesus Christ is Almighty God in The Flesh.
We are to understand it as the Holy Ghost making that exact Gospel point.
That is the correct sense.
How do we know for Certain?
Because the marginal note of the 1611 KJV has an alternative literal reading, which God’s chosen translators into English thought worth bringing to our attention: Of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ
That KJV marginal reading is telling us emphatically that Jesus Christ is God.
A fact which resonates with the Holy Ghost in every true believer’s heart.
Halleluia!
Why didn’t the Translators use it in the main KJV text?
Oh Praise the LORD, this is divine!
Christ’s primary ministry was to seal our redemption with His Blood. Consequently, for His Sacrifice to be valid payment for the; sins, sicknesses and infirmities of mankind, Christ had to complete His entire walk on Earth as a Man, as a human born under, and subject to, God’s Law, just as any man.
You see, it would be a shortcut if He had once used His divine status, and His lineal access to Father God to achieve anything in His ministry.
He Took No Shortcuts
Try to comprehend that, it is important, and prompts worship in your heart when you see it.
He would be using His intrinsic divine power, instead of relying on what Almighty God had already given the Jews, and now us, access to: His written word.
Satan would be able to accuse Him of “using His special privileges” to fulfil God’s plan, instead of relying on what God had previously said and written.
So the plan of Redemption would fail instantly.
The Son of Man
We notice that Christ insisted on calling Himself the Son of Man throughout His life. That had to be His focus, or He’d fluff it.
That’s why the Holy Ghost wrote, Phil. 2:5-8 KJV;
Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
Every believer knows that Christ succeeded, in His task of providing eternal redemption for every sinner willing to believe on Him, and that He is indeed Almighty God made Flesh, as numerous scriptures confirm, (Jn. 12:41+45; Is. 6:5; Jn. 1:1+14; Rev. 1:8, Rev. 22:13+16; Is. 48:12; Lk. 6:5; Jn. Ch. 8) for example Col. 2:9 KJV;
For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
KJV: God’s Word in English
So the Holy Ghost, in overseeing the translation of the KJV, moved the Translators to use the expression, through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ… to indicate this nuance.
If He’d led them to use the literal marginal reading in the main text,
Of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ
…it would have appeared more of a forgone conclusion, an inevitable outcome, than it actually must have been for The LORD to accomplish.
It would lead superficial readers to assume that being Jesus, and doing His works, was easy because He was God, and so they will miss the point of His coming as fully human.
But you get it, don’t you? If not seek The LORD wholeheartedly until you do.
Saints! Praise The LORD for His righteousness, mercy and grace in completing our eternal redemption once and for all! AMEN
© 21 Colin Melbourne
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